Evgeny Prigozhin, the head of the Russian private military group "Wagner," reiterated today that the group's fighters refuse to sign contracts with the Russian Defense Ministry, one day after President Vladimir Putin stated that agreements are necessary. In a rare direct challenge to the Russian leader, Prigozhin said, "There is no one among Wagner fighters willing to descend into the path of shame again, and therefore, they will not sign the contracts."
However, he noted in statements that "a compromise will be found between Putin and the parliament to enable Wagner fighters to receive social guarantees and an official status as fighters." In a televised meeting yesterday, Putin supported a call from the Defense Ministry for volunteer fighters in Ukraine to sign contracts with the country's military leadership, which is widely seen as a means to assert control over Wagner.
Prigozhin has been in open conflict with Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu and senior military leaders since last year, accusing them of failing to provide adequate support and ammunition for Wagner forces in Ukraine, resulting in greater losses. The Russian parliament, as reported by the TASS news agency, announced that "the State Duma has given its preliminary approval for legislation that would allow the Defense Ministry to sign contracts with suspected or convicted criminals to fight in Ukraine."
